Massive tsunami kills 150,000+ in Asia

[Kirkhill]

You're right Joe.

It's a horrible thread to bring it up over.

 

[a_majoor]

Save 'em all, and let God sort them out
Via Tim Blair, a reader at the SMH writes:

    It is a sad and grim reminder of how vulnerable we are to the force of nature. A pity our army is busy fighting America's immoral war when they should be providing assistance to the affected areas.

    Shane Arnold

From the abstract of a paper (No 56 - scroll down) I co-authored for SimTect 2004, the Australian Simulations Technology conference :

    A 6-week 2-person project is described that developed a detailed simulation of airborne logistics transport for evacuation and disaster recovery in remote areas.
    Cargoes to be transported are in general heterogenous, including outsized and oversized loads such as generators, vehicles, and bulk containers of assorted sizes requiring special handling.
    Each individual flight is modelled in detail, along with taxiing, loading, refueling and air traffic control delays. Both Fixed- and Rotary-wing aircraft are modelled, as are limitations such as MOG and ACN of airfield nodes.
    The xtUML process and Bridgepoint tool were used to develop the simulation, which is quantised to the level of 1 minute increments of time. The resultant executable is generated using a C++ model compiler.
    The requirements of the simulation underwent significant refinement during the course of the project, requiring agile techniques. The problems and benefits of agile development are described, along with metrics about the development process.
    The possibilities of planned extension of the model to cover road-, rail- and sea-borne transport with modal-split are discussed.

Annette was the xtUML Guru and Expert on Bridgepoint - as well as being a top person to work with. I provided the knowledge about how to simulate stuff and the "domain knowledge' - when the wind is southerly, I know a Hercules from a Hacksaw. Or a Candid from a Caribou for that matter.

Finally, from the ABC :

    Prime Minister John Howard has offered his deepest sympathy to Australia's Asian neighbours which have been devastated by tsunamis.
    [...]
    Australia is to provide an initial $10 million of relief assistance which will go to the Red Cross, other non-government organisations and directly to Indonesia.

    This afternoon two C-130 Hercules headed to the region laden with supplies such as water purification units, blankets and bottled water.

    Mr Howard says he will speak to leaders from the region over the next day to learn what further help Australia can offer.

    "I imagine that it will be some days before the full extent of this tragedy unfolds," Mr Howard said.

    "I can only repeat that the Australian people feel great sympathy for our friends in the region.

    "We'll do everything we can as a regional neighbour and a regional friend to assist the countries that have been so badly affected."

    The Government says it will donate more money as the full scale of the disaster unfolds.

It will take a few days before we have a good idea what we should be sending. It will also take us a few days to gather up spare ROWPUs (Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units) - which weigh quite a few tonnes each - generators and the like. In the meantime, 2 C-130 loads of supplies that were top-ups destined for Iraq and Afghanistan have been diverted to help.

We - and by that I mean those baby-eating bloodthirsty barbarians in the Australian military - have plans for dealing with natural disasters. We - and by that I mean us Evil Warmongering Boffins that support the military - even develop simulations and models to help the guys in uniform plan what to do. Unlike some SHM readers, we don't have a direct line to God, so we don't know when and where such catastrophes will occur. The same resources that could support an armoured infantry company operating round Mosul would also be useful for relieving natural disasters, and more importantly, there are plans so to use them. We can walk and chew gum at the same time, provided we don't over-commit ourselves. That's why we have so few troops in Iraq, and resisted the strong pressure from the USA pre-war to commit more in the post-war phase. The US understood this, and didn't make a fuss about us keeping a Strategic Reserve.

More importantly, we don't just write Idiotarian letters to the SMH decrying terrorism, we do something about it. We also don't just write factually-challenged letters to the SMH about the "force of nature", we do something about that too.

We do what we can, reflexive and limited immediate aid first, but we also figure out what's needed, think and research before acting. You save more lives that way, even if the wilfully ignorant of the chattering classes get into a lather because of it.

Like the War on Terror, we're all in this together. In cases like this, we don't worry about what stupid and insulting things various Malaysian government bigwigs have said about us recently, nor even whether today's victims in Aceh were slaughtering Christians and burning down Churches last week. When Mother Nature throws a tantrum, we save 'em all, and let God sort them out.

If you want to help, try going to The Command Post, which is maintaining a list of relief organisations you can donate to.

At least the Australians arn't sitting on their bums, but have plans. capability and commitment to help their neighbors. Pity our big heads in Ottawa can't figure out why our influence is leaking away so fast.

 

[Bill Smy]

In all the news reports I've seen on TV or read in newspapers, all the analysis as to the danger to North America has concentrated on the west coast and the "ring of fire". Last summer, I watched a documentary during the hurricane season which discussed this type of natural disaster but its emphasis was on the Atlantic coast.

A major group of undersea dormant volcanic mountains lies just west of the Azores. It is believed that one side of one of these mountains has the potential to "slump" into an ocean valley, and the commentator said it was just a matter of time that it did.

If so, it would create tidal waves within hours (I think he said 7) on the east coast reaching 150 to 250 feet high (higher than Niagara Falls). New York City would be in the major disaster area. Significant damage would occur as far north as the Maritimes, with much of PEI disappearing and the lower parts of Montreal harbour flooding.

The west coast of Africa, Portugal, France and southern England and Ireland would be devastated.

An earthquake in the Azores in 1755 inflicted over 100,000 deaths in Portugal/Spain/France with the accompanying damage. There was damage in New York, and water level change at Monteal.

I understand that the British have built flood gates in the Thames estuary to cater to just this type of natural disaster.

Just a matter of time?

 

[Sheerin]

Everything with this planet is a 'matter of time'.  Remember the Earth is, as recent events show, a living planet that it is constantly changing. 

Just think that in a matter of years (albeit billions of years) our sun will run out of hydrogen and then expand, destroying the Earth in the process. 

It is no doubt a terrible tragedy, and sadly it won't be the last of which we'll live through.... lets just hope nothing else major happens during our life times...

 

[jmackenzie_15]

I saw something similar about earthquakes, Los Angelas and Hong Kong are supposedly the biggest earthquake timebombs, both cities are dead on major faults.Im not positive if it was Hong Kong or not, it was that or Tokyo.

But i guess when you think about it, there arent many places to live on earth without some kind of considerable force of nature that could easily kill alot of people.Tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes... and as for out of nature we have warlords, diseases, predatorial animals....... hmm i think ill just stay inside.

Have they mentioned on CBC tonight whether or not theres any indication the government will send foreign aid workers and not just money?

 

[dglad]

A generalization, but any ocean basin is a place of change--and, in geological terms, quite rapid change.  Ocean basins are characterized by significant plate tectonic spreading in their central regions, and collisions with continental plates along their margins.  The result is a dynamic and energetic environment, with volcanically-active mid-oceanic ridges, and tectonically active continental margins.  Unfortunately, the margins of ocean basins are also the most heavily populated parts of the planet.  Add in the fact that you have a medium that is very efficient at quickly moving around energy--water--and its a recipe for disaster after disaster.

Someone mentioned the Azores--indeed, there's a large section of one volcanic island that has already partially separated from the rest.  If it slumps into the ocean, it will project a wave pattern that will radiate westward, directly towards eastern North America and Carribbean.  And in the Pacific, a large section of the "big island" is separated from the rest by a fault in a similar way.  It would fall southwards, affecting the entire Pacific basin less anything more or less north of a line of latitude through Hawaii. 

Yikes.

What concerns me (as a geologist) about the present situation in SE Asia is that a magnitude 9 earthquake represents a fundamental redistribution of energy i.e. it's likely that the patterns of stress have changed on a regional scale.  There may be other seismic events, potentially even large ones, elsewhere in SE Asia.  Hopefully, they'd be in less populated areas and beneath land, so an already enormous tragedy isn't made even worse.

 

[winchable]

31,000 was the final toll for the Iranian Earthquake.(some sources at 40,000)
GIven that the toll for this is 24,000 so far and the extent of the effects aren't even known yet I believe it might be much worse.

I would wager one of the worst natural disasters to happen in a very,very long time and hopefully not a sign of things to come.
What bothers me, watch the coverage on the television and you start to get a sense for that "small numbers are a tragedy where large numbers are statistics" adage. Jack Johnson wrote a good song about that "The News" I think it's called.

"Over 24,000 are dead so far, next up...a cow with a picture of the virgin mary on its side and a college student whining about how they can't get home."
I wonder if it weren't for the fact that some of these places are chock full of resorts if we'd be hearing even this much...
I don't know, sort of puts your own problems into perspective and makes you think about what is important, awful that it takes such an event however.

You can only imagine how awful it must be considering how densley populated the area is and how basic some medical clinics are to begin with, add in damage from the tidal waves and the after effects of these are going to be just as bad as the immediate effects were.
I just hope that people take the term "Global Villiage" more literally here and the aid starts pouring in.

As of 7:46AM Atl. Time, the toll is at 26,000, when I went to bed last night it was at 22,000.

 

[JBP]

Here's an update. I was watching Global News at 7:40AM and they said death toll AT least 40,000 now and gave a breakdown of each country's losses. Right now Sri Lanka is at 9,000 and that's mediocore and their officials said they expect to end up around 25,000 by themselves. They're still pulling bodies out of the streets... Half of them children.... That breaks my heart.

Another report...

Death toll from massive tsunami nears 40,000
CTV.ca News Staff

Medical supplies and food aid poured into the areas devastated by the massive tsunami on Tuesday, as the death toll neared 40,000 across 11 countries.

Millions more are homeless and thousands remain unaccounted for just two days after the deadliest tsunami in 120 years.

Throughout the region, beaches have become makeshift open-air morgues, with weeping survivors scrambling over piles of corpses, looking for missing loved ones. Some are saying the final numbers of dead might never be fully known.

Among the worst hit by Sunday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake were Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Thailand. The quake sparked waves measuring six to 10 metres high, and travelled as far as Malaysia and parts of Africa.

As the damage is assessed and the dead counted, the numbers are astounding. Sri Lanka on Tuesday raised its death toll past 18,700, while Indonesia's toll hit 7,000. Although the vice president said it could reach 25,000.

Also hard hit was India, where close to 9,500 people have been confirmed dead by officials.

In Thailand, the death toll nearly doubled Tuesday to 1,473, following the discovery of 750 bodies at a resort near the popular tourist destination of Phuket.

The massive wave also killed people in Malaysia, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya.

Three Canadians have been confirmed dead -- two killed in Thailand and one in Sri Lanka.

Another 12 Canadians were injured, and two others are officially listed as missing, according to The Associated Press. However, other reports put the number of missing at 18.

Aid efforts

United Nations emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland said the disaster may be the costliest in history.

He said the tsunami was not the largest ever recorded "but the effects may be the biggest ever because many more people live in exposed areas than ever before."

Egeland, who is also in charge of emergency relief said "an enormous relief effort is on its way."

At least one-third of the reported dead are children, according to UNICEF.

As aid workers scramble to help survivors, there are fears that diseases such as cholera could kill many more. Another danger that has surfaced in Sri Lanka is uprooted land mines, which have been washed out of fields.

But what officials are likely most worried about is the lack of fresh drinking water.

"There is a real concern by authorities that people are resorting to drinking sea water or polluted water," said CTV's Matt McClure, reporting from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Swept away

Tourists sunbathing on beaches were simply swept away along with fishermen at sea. Villagers in coastal towns drowned in their homes or were killed by waves of debris.

"All of a sudden in the distance, you could see this incredible wall of water moving forward,'' Ottawa native Daniel Galler told Ottawa radio station CFRA.

Now a businessman in the Philippines, Galler, 32, was on vacation at Patong Beach in Thailand when a tsunami hit on Sunday.

"From a distance it didn't look like much, but all of a sudden, it's moving forward quicker and quicker and quicker and the next thing you know, you've got three storeys (of water) above you.''

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a national disaster. Government officials say more than one million people, or around five per cent of the island's population, have been affected.

The tiny Maldives -- a string of coral islands off the southwest coast of India that are barely above sea level, and about 2,500 km from the quake's epicentre -- are now two-thirds submerged by water.

The United States prepared a $15 million aid package to the Asian countries, and the 25-nation European Union promised to quickly deliver $4 million. Canada promised $4 million with more likely to come.

Canadians wishing to donate aid to quake relief can call the Red Cross at 1-800-418-1111 or UNICEF at 1-877-955-3111.

With a report from CTV's Matt McClure and files from The Associated Press

 

[Edward Campbell]

This is from today's National Post; I have copied it in full for those who do not subscribe.   For those who do not know him: David Bercuson (University of Calgary) is a a very switched on fellow with excellent connections inside DND, including within the senior ranks of the military.   I trust his judgement re: potential embarrassing problem, politically embarassing that is, with air lift. (Emphasis is mine.)

Armed Forces disaster team grounded by paperwork
Military expert 'appalled' by slow Canadian response
Chris Wattie
National Post

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Canada's military disaster response team must wait for an official request from the Department of Foreign Affairs before it can be sent to help victims of a tsunami in Southeast Asia.

While other nations had teams already in the air yesterday to help with the aftermath of the deadly tidal wave, defence spokesmen said the Canadian Forces' Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) will not be going anywhere without the proper paperwork.

"A formal request would have to be made by the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Department of National Defence," John Morris, a spokesman for the Defence Department, said yesterday.

"To date, we have not received a formal request for our assets at this time."
Bill Graham, the Defence Minister, said the military teams will remain on standby for now, awaiting a formal request from one or more of the governments in the region hit by the tsunami.

Foreign Affairs would then pass the request along to the Forces, he said. "The DART team obviously is a potential tool," Mr. Graham told a news conference
"It's a wonderful tool, but it's for specific purposes, and we haven't seen where that's necessary at this particular point."

However Dr. David Bercuson, director of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, strongly disagrees.

"It's exactly what [the Forces team is] designed for, and what it was actually used for up until the late 1990s," he said. "It's appalling that they haven't been offered already."

"What do we have a DART team for, if not for things like this?"

The Israeli Defence Forces yesterday dispatched a medical relief team to Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The Israeli military has also offered help to India, including a military search-and-rescue team and consignments of food and medicines.

The United States military also activated its military disaster-assistance teams yesterday, including units based in the Philippines, and Australia began loading emergency supplies on board two Royal Australian Air Force cargo planes.

"It's the sort of thing that makes me ashamed to be Canadian," Dr. Bercuson said. "It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out that they have a disaster of major proportions over on the other side of the world and aid is flowing in from everywhere ... and where are we?"

The team, a group of up to 200 soldiers, medics and military engineers designed to fly to disaster zones around the world, was last dispatched to a Turkish earthquake site in 1999.

The Martin government was widely criticized this year for not sending the team to the Caribbean after a hurricane struck Jamaica and Haiti. Pierre Pettigrew, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, cited the cost as one reason for the decision not to send the team to help Haiti.

Dr. Bercuson said the government instead may be trying to avoid a potentially embarrassing problem with the military's ageing CC-130 Hercules transport planes. They are nearly 40 years old and more than half of the air force's fleet of 32 aircraft are under repair at any given time, according to internal defence documents.
"It would be a tremendous embarrassment if the DART team took off in its Hercules aircraft and had to turn back," Dr. Bercuson said.

It takes 26 separate Hercules flights to move the full team to a disaster area, and Dr. Bercuson said it is likely the team will be at its base in Kingston for at least the next few days.

"If they do go it will be an absolute triumph over adversity by the members of our military."

© National Post 2004

 

[leopard11]

CTV.ca is reporting the death toll has now surpassed 50,000 people, across 11 countries.Deadliest Tsunami in 120 years. according to UNICEF, 1/3 of the dead are children

from CTV.ca

As the damage is assessed and the dead counted, the numbers are astounding. Sri Lanka on Tuesday raised its death toll past 18,700, while Indonesia's toll hit 19,000. Although the vice president said it could reach 25,000.

Also hard hit was India, where more than 11,000 people have been confirmed dead by officials.

In Thailand, the death toll nearly doubled Tuesday to more than 1,500 following the discovery of about 700 bodies at a resort near the popular tourist destination of Phuket.

The massive waves also killed people in Malaysia, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Somalia, Tanzania and Kenya.

At least three Canadians have been confirmed dead -- two killed in Thailand and one in Sri Lanka.

Full article can be found here: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1104234317499_82/?hub=TopStories

 

[McG]

Are most of the ATHENA guys on leave in that area accounted for already?

 

[Danjanou]

IIRC there was a retired CF member posting here about a year ago that lived in southern Thailand. He was chatting with Sapper Earl and I re places to go there. (Earl has been there a few times and I was on my way for a trip). One hopes he's ok.

I'm going to look through old posts for name/contact info.

The magnitude of this defies description. CTV just reported over 30 Canadians missing in Thailand. Over 10,000 Canadians visit there each month in high tourist season (now).

 

[Edward Campbell]

Are most of the ATHENA guys on leave in that area accounted for already?

According to one of this morning's papers there were (I think) 11 Op ATHENA people on leave in Thailand - probably in Phuket - and three (I think, again) were not yet (last night?) accounted for.

 

[1feral1]

I had heard on CNN that France has ONLY donated $140,000 US dollars. :

Although every dollar is needed, I think $140,000 is an insult.

Shakes head.

BTW USA - 35 million USD
Australia 7 - million USD
Plus a host of other donating countries.

There has been other countries too, even Kuwait has donated $3 million, but what about other muslim nations helping out a brother country, Indonesia - pop 280,000,000?

Sky News now says 58,000 and rising killed.

Regards,

Wes

PS - We have donated $100, and I challenge others to give also.

 

[brin11]

Wes,

The 15 year old handicapped boy you mentioned made me the saddest somehow.  I saw an interview with his parents and they watched him be swept out to sea with him watching them back.  Terrible, imagine watching your kid riding a wave out to their death??

 

[1feral1]

yes , I know the interview. Must just be terrible. At least this family has some kind of closure, so they have his remains to bury, but the ones lost at sea will have no graves.

Truly a most horrific event.

BTW, our friend in holiday in Sri Lanka is okay and is due to fly back to Sydney on Saturday. It was her first trip there, and I don't think she'll want to go back.

Regards,

Wes

 

[FSTO]

On our way home frorm OP APOLLO we went alongside Phuket for some RnR. Our berth was on the otherside of the island, but I wonder what sort of damage 5500 ton destroyer would have suffered from if this had happened while we were there. I'm sure we would have suffered a great deal, if there was no warning.

My heart goes out to all the victims in the Indian Ocean, and it sure puts a different perspective on the news when you remember being in a place that is being destroyed in front of your eyes.

 

[Laps]

With the current situation in Asia, I can see a great use of our DART team in the devastated areas.   Anyone in the loop as to why we are not on our way there?   Maybe this is also a good opportunity to explain what is DART???  

I thought we have dropped the ball by not going to Haiti after the recent flood, but 50,000 dead people should be enough to justify the DART's response...

My 2 cents ???

 

[ark]

With the current situation in Asia, I can see a great use of our DART team in the devastated areas.   Anyone in the loop as to why we are not on our way there?   Maybe this is also a good opportunity to explain what is DART???  

I thought we have dropped the ball by not going to Haiti after the recent flood, but 50,000 dead people should be enough to justify the DART's response...

My 2 cents ???

I hope this helps...

OTTAWA (CP) - Although Canada's military keeps an emergency response team on standby to help in international disasters, it isn't "the right tool" to help victims of a devastating Asian earthquake and tsunami, federal officials said Tuesday.

"It seems the DART is not the right tool at this time," Col. Guy Laroche of the Department of National Defence told a Media briefing three days after the crisis hit. Officials were responding to criticisms that the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team hasn't yet been sent to the region devastated by an earthquake that triggered massive tidal waves on Boxing Day.

Officials said they're not ruling out sending the DART team, which sets up a mobile field hospital, at some point.

But information is still coming in from the region and as yet, no government there has made a formal request to Ottawa for such help, officials said.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/12/28/800072-cp.html

 

[MJP]

I had heard on CNN that France has ONLY donated $140,000 US dollars. :

Although every dollar is needed, I think $140,000 is an insult.

Shakes head.

"The French government has dispatched a plane carrying more than 100 rescue and health staff, as well as a field medical post and six tonnes of drugs and supplies". 

and we're sending....??? oh wait not the DART because it isn't "the right tool".   I'd really hate to see a disaster that is right for the DART to deploy, got to be worse than over 50,000 dead. 


http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=596625